Getting Started
Overview Earth 2308 is a game focused on player freedom and interaction with the greater setting and metaplot. Players can choose to create a character from any corner of Sol, with any personal goal. Although I designed this game to be run by myself for small groups, feel free to give it a try running it yourself. Generally, Earth 2308 is aimed at an audience of veteran RPG players, but it is mathematically simpler than many popular tabletop games, such as Shadowrun, D&D and GURPS and should be relatively easy to learn for newbies. In order to run the game, one person must take on the role of Game Master (GM) and arbitrate the actions of Non-Player Characters (NPCs), referee the results of other players' actions, and generally control the world that the players interact with. It is highly recommended that anyone who wants to play discusses plot ideas with their GM beforehand so that they do not end up feeling like they are being forced to continue playing a character or story that they aren't invested in. The GM is responsible for creating places, people and things for the players to interact with, as well as for dropping story hooks for the players to follow if they wish, but ultimately it should be up to the players to drive and guide the story in order to maintain a sense of exploration, discovery and player agency.. The objective of this roleplaying system is threefold. First and foremost: to give players and GMs a mechanical and narrative framework to create unique and interesting pulp science fiction stories. Second: to provide players with a sandbox world within which they can pursue any plot line that appeals to them and which they can influence through their in-game actions. And finally, third: to make the consequences of that player agency feel as impactful as they would in real life. Core Mechanics Earth 2308 uses multiple six-sided dice to determine the results of actions. A six-sided die is called a "d6," and the number of dice is written before the "d." For example, "3d6" means 3 six-sided dice. The outcome of most situations is decided by an attribute roll. You roll as many six-sided dice as your attribute and add up the total, often with flat bonuses or penalties involved. In many situations, you will also add a number of dice equal to your listed skill level. For example, if a character has 3 Agility and Ranged 2, they will roll 5d6 to hit when attacking with a handgun. Any time two opposing rolls are made that land on the same sum, the roll with the greater number of dice wins automatically. If the number of dice is also equal, the roll with the greater flat bonus wins. Otherwise, both dice pools must be rolled again. Battle Combat in 2308 works quite differently from most tabletop games and is designed to be less abstract, and more simulant. Characters are made up of body parts with independent pools of hit points, for example. While there is more crunch involved than there is in some games, this is intended to make combat feel immersive, chunky, satisfying and consequential. Read the Combat page for more information on the mechanics of fighting and bloodshed. Campaign Difficulty The Campaign Difficulty refers to how tough the Game Master makes the game for the players. This is separate from normal mechanical or narrative difficulty, which is generally decided by the content of the campaign, and can be thought of as metagame difficulty. While it is entirely acceptable for Game Masters to make their own decisions about how they want to run their game, the following Campaign Difficulty settings are the ones that are recommended to be used: Story Mode On Story Mode, the Game Master provides the players with assistance out of character, giving them helpful tips about how to handle the situations they find themselves in. If a character attempts an action that would be obviously self destructive or which has no chance of success, the Game Master stops the player and explains why the action would be harmful, then asks them to confirm whether they still want to pursue it. Characters always know the results of their actions immediately and all information tracked by the Game Master is freely available to the players. Players never have to worry about accidentally biting off more than they can chew, as encounters are toned down and balanced to provide a moderate challenge to the party, barring extreme exceptions (such as intentionally entering combat while knowingly outnumbered by a huge margin). The narrative of the game comes first and the focus is on collaborating to tell a story, even if that means fudging numbers or being overly forgiving to player characters to keep the game going. Story Mode is recommended for games that involve players who are new to tabletop gaming. Normal Mode On Normal Mode, the Game Master does not provide tips or assistance out of character. If a character attempts an action that would be obviously self destructive or which has no chance of success, the Game Master simply asks the player to confirm whether they still want to pursue it, without explaining why. Characters always know the results of their actions immediately, but information tracked by the Game Master is only available to the tracked character (you may know your own hit points, but not anyone else's - you would get a general description instead). Encounters are never toned down to "scale" with the party, and players must be wary of putting themselves in situations that they cannot handle. Striking a balance between intense, simulant gameplay and collaborative storytelling, Normal Mode is the recommended difficulty setting for regular tabletop gamers. Hardcore Mode On Hardcore Mode, players essentially have no assistance and little information. The Game Master never warns players when they are about to attempt an action that would harm them or that they cannot possibly succeed at unless it is something that their character would know. Characters only know the results of their actions if they can perceive them - I.E., you won't know if you hit any targets when you fire blindly, you won't know how much ammunition is left in your weapon's magazine or how many rounds you use while firing in Automatic mode unless you have an ammo counter, you won't know how much damage you take from attacks without a medical scanner, etc. The Game Master will still provide general descriptions of things - you will know where you hurt and how much it hurts, you will know when your weapon's magazine feels much lighter than when it is full, but you will not be given specific numbers. This means that the Game Master tracks characters' Hit Points and the amount of ammunition in their magazines instead of the players. Information tracked by the Game Master is only available if acquired in game, such as by using a medical scanner to learn a character's Hit Points and Wound status, or removing a magazine from a gun to see how full it is. Hardcore Mode is very difficult and is intended for veteran roleplayers, but is also faster to play, more immersive, less effort for players (as they do not have to track their own values) and better at creating stories that are organic and pseudo-realistic. Roll Difficulty Whenever a player rolls dice in order to complete an action, there is always a target number that the dice roll must meet or exceed in order to be successful. This number is referred to as the Roll Difficulty, or RD '''of a roll. The lion's share of rolls will have their Roll Difficulty decided by either a player or the Game Master rolling an opposing roll. For example, the Roll Difficulty of a kick to the nuts would be decided by the defender rolling a number of six-sided dice equal to their AGI attribute and adding any relevant bonuses. Many circumstances have their Roll Difficulties described on this wiki, while others are decided by the Game Master. Feats which are easily accomplished by the character in question do not normally need to be rolled for. Confounding Factors For Game Masters, deciding how many dice to give an opposed roll can be tricky. This is most often the case with various uses for Skills and for when players are forced to deal with Hazards and other obstacles. In these instances, it is recommended to give the roll a number of dice equal to the number of '''Confounding Factors influencing the attempt. A Confounding Factor is the number of circumstantial complications that would make something more difficult to accomplish. Take for instance a character who wants to use the Jumping skill to cross a gap. You should consider things such as the surface of the terrain they are standing on, the distance between the surfaces or any difference in height and the general situation the character finds themselves in. For example, if it were a short gap in a calm situation on solid ground, you would give the roll a Roll Difficulty of 1d6. If they were being shot at, you would increase it to 2d6. If the ground is also wet and slippery, you would increase it again to 3d6, and so on. You may also raise or lower Roll Difficulty as you see fit depending on the circumstances, such as increasing the RD by one or more dice based on the length of the jump. Progression As players make their way through a campaign, completing one story after another, their characters will slowly begin to grow in strength. Characters all begin the game at Level 0, and gain a single level each time they complete a significant stretch of campaign narrative or finish a story arc. Characters add their level to any Vigor rolls they make to resist death. In most cases, leveling up will involve skipping through time in-game and creating an in-character justification for the character's improvements, for example, having a character spend a semester at school in order to improve their Academics Skill. Whenever you gain a level, you get: * 1 Advantage point, which you cannot save up to spend on Gifts. Only Advantages can be taken after the game begins. * 2 Skill points, which you can spend to increase any skill by 1 rank. You cannot spend both skill points to improve the same skill. After reaching Level 10, additional levels will no longer grant Advantage points, and you will gain only 1 Skill point instead of 2. Character Creation All characters in the game world are created the same way, using a combination of Attributes, Secondary Statistics, Skills, Advantages, Disadvantages and a Type and Build. A character can also choose a single Gift '''if they have the points. Types, Gifts and Advantages may also confer special '''Abilities upon a character that can be performed by spending stamina or willpower. A sample character sheet can be viewed here. To make a new page for your character, type your character's desired name into the box and hit "create!" preload=Template:CharacterSheet width=25 Type A character's Type reflects the primary social group they are a part of, whose differences and similarities to other groups are deemed by society to be socially significant. It is their origin and history, and the most important defining trait of their person. Types decide the number of Advantages a character may start with, and all Types other than Humans have special rules. The different character Types are as follows: Human Description Humans are the most dominant Type, despite the rise of cyberization. Humans have no special traits, but that in itself is a strength. Effects Humans start the game with 5 advantages, but have no other effects. Cyborg Description Humans or sometimes other species who suffer grievous injury may opt for cybernetic replacements when synthesized organ/limb replacements are unavailable, too risky, or too expensive. Other people may appreciate the utility of robotic strength and efficiency and may opt to be cyberized despite no previous injury. There is a very small chance that a human's body may reject cyberization entirely, which can put a person with few credits in a bad situation. Cyborgs are extremely common on many worlds in Sol, but it is also typical for people to be disgusted, offended, or other-wise put off by obvious cybernetic parts in certain very wealthy social circles. Cyborgs with prosthetics that are designed to appear exactly like human body parts are the norm, while Cyborgs with obvious mechanical or robotic body parts are more common among the rough and rowdy, such as pirates, privateers, mercenaries, and other types of space thugs. Facing a cyborg in combat is never fun, as one can never be entirely sure what sort of modifications he or she will be up against. Effects Cyborgs start the game with 3 advantages and use the Cyborg Chop Shop page to pick and choose prosthetic body parts with which to start the game. Prosthetic body parts have a wide variety of different effects, both beneficial and harmful. Most Cyborg Abilities consume the Stamina resource and use either the PHY or AGI attributes. Mutant Description Human beings mutated by exposure to a myriad of different sources or their offspring. While some mutations include superhuman abilities or psychic powers, the vast majority of mutants are hideously disfigured both physically and mentally. Many mutants have lost their humanity and become mindlessly violent, and mutants as a whole are hated and feared for it. Mutants are usually seen as horrible abominations, even those who look perfectly human, and will generally be captured or killed if discovered by authorities. Many wealthier areas, including space ports on most populated worlds, include scanners specifically designed to detect mutants. Despite the extreme degree of persecution mutants face, there are still many mutant communities scattered throughout Sol, even on Earth, where mutants live together and protect one another from discovery. Effects Mutants start the game with 3 advantages and use the Mutant Evolution page to pick and choose mutations with which to start the game. Mutations have a wide variety of different effects, both beneficial and harmful. Most Mutant Abilities consume the Willpower resource and use the AUR attribute. Android Description Genetically 'perfect' humans created by corporations and governments for use as soldiers, weapons, worker drones, and in other slave-like duties. By severely tampering with human genes, the scientists are able to create 'Androids' that exceed most humans in every possible way physically. Stronger, faster, tougher, and having more stamina, these creatures are nothing short of super human, able to leap great distances, run at Olympian speeds, and lift things many times their body weight. Androids are disturbingly fast and agile, and even learn new things at a slightly accelerated rate. These gifts come at a price, however: Androids are born sterile, incapable of impregnating or giving birth. They also mature and age at a highly accelerated rate, the average android life span less than a tenth of a human's. By the time an android is 2 years old, it will look like a human adult. Eight years later, it will have reached its maximum life span and self terminate. They do age gracefully, however, rarely looking to be older than mid to late 30s. Androids are found in government employ nearly 95% of the time, with the few that aren't in the possession of rich and powerful individuals. Androids have no rights whatsoever, and are essentially considered property. Effects Androids start the game with 2 advantages, a +2 bonus to their AGI, VIG and PHY attributes, as well as a +5 bonus to a single Skill. Robot Description Although the term "robot" can technically be applied to any machine with articulated parts moved by a motor, most people who say "robot" in Sol are referring to such machines with built-in Artificial Intelligences. The depth and breadth of a robot's capacity for human-like intellect and expression varies dramatically on an individual basis. Robots come in many shapes and sizes and can be found all throughout the solar system, from the high-tech and lethal Combat Synthoid to the humble JaniBot. Effects Robots do not use advantages and disadvantages. Instead, they use the Robot Factory page to pick and choose their Form Factor and Components. Unlike all other Types, Robots do not need to eat, drink, breath, or expel waste and do not suffer from diseases, poisons or any kind of negative mental effect such as pain or fear. Build A representation of a character’s bone and muscle structure; impacts size and physical attributes. There are only three build types. Light, Medium, and Heavy. No ‘lithe’, ‘athletic’ or any of that. Just Light, Medium, and Heavy. A light build means thinner bones, slimmer muscles, a lighter and more slender body type over all. A light build lends itself to things like running, climbing, and feats involving agility because it’s easier to move the body. Light characters have an inherent +1 to their Agility attribute and a size of 4. A medium build means thicker bones, more pronounced muscles, a more conventionally ‘normal’ body type over all. A medium build takes the comfortable middle ground, able to accomplish many tasks. Medium characters have an inherent +1 to their Vigor attribute and a size of 5. A heavy build means much thicker bones, a much more pronounced musculature, and a larger person overall. A heavy build lends itself to feats of great strength and power. Heavy characters have an inherent +1 to their Physique and Vigor attributes, but suffer a -2 penalty to Agility. Heavy characters have a size of 6. Attributes A representation of a characters' inherent physical and mental capabilities. Each character begins with a 0 in all attributes and 10 points to distribute among them, and can put up to 4 points in a single attribute at character generation. Unless noted otherwise, the maximum value for all attributes after including Advantages, Type and Build is 6. Attributes are as follows: Vigor (VIG) A measure of a character's hardiness. Determines maximum stamina as well as resistance to fatigue, poisons, disease and pain. Vigor also impacts a character's ability to defy death. Physique (PHY) A measure of a character's physical might. Determines attacks with fists, most melee weapons and grappling as well as resistance to knockdowns, knockbacks, or other effects that force the character to change position. Also affects carrying capacity. Agility (AGI) A measure of a character's precision and quickness. Used to dodge attacks, sneak, perform ranged attacks (and some melee attacks), and resist against area-of-effect attacks and hazards. Cunning (CUN) A measure of a character's reflexes and wits. Used to determine initiative, number of Opportunity Actions, and the outcomes of certain social situations (bluff, persuade). Intellect (INT) A measure of a characters' degree of knowledge and skill. Used for most trivia and skill rolls. A character with 0 intellect is illiterate. Sense (SEN) A measure of a character's perception and judgement. Used for making deductions, detecting hidden objects, sensing sounds or and other perceptual rolls. Aura (AUR) A measure of a character's mental force of will and their connection and sensitivity to emotions and psychic phenomena. Increases maximum Willpower and determines a character's ability to wield psychic powers. Secondary Statistics Expressions of a character's attributes which are decided by them. They are as follows: Stamina A measure of physical endurance. When stamina reaches 0, a character falls unconscious. Used to fuel physical abilities. Maximum stamina starts at 10, and is increased by 4 for each point of Vigor, and by 2 for each point in an Athletic skill other than Climbing or Jumping. Characters can also choose to spend stamina to recover from certain conditions, such as fatigue or dizziness. Willpower A measure of emotional or psychological endurance. When willpower reaches 0, a character panics. Used to fuel psychic abilities. Maximum willpower starts at 8, and is Increased by 4 for each point of Aura. Characters can also choose to spend willpower to recover from certain conditions, such as terror or crippling pain. Speed A measure of how far a character can move for each Action Point they spend. All characters have a ground speed of 30, plus 5 for every 2 points in the Running skill, and swim in water at half their normal speed. Speed can be further modified by advantages, items, and abilities. Perception A measure of a character's general awareness of their surroundings. Perception is a static value equal to a character's SEN multiplied by 4. Perception is used to locate hidden things and to notice details. Size Every character, object, building and vehicle in Earth 2308 has a size - a measure of physical bulk. Light characters have a size of 4, medium characters have a size of 5, and heavy characters have a size of 6. Size is used to determine how small a space something can fit into and modifies certain other rolls. Size is an abstract value not based on any real world measurements and represents exponential, rather than linear, increases in mass. Languages Every character knows Sol's Lingua Franca, English, as well as an additional language for each point of intellect over 1. Characters may know any real human language, which can open up certain opportunities in game, such as if one wishes to join a culturally exclusive organization. Robots & Vehicles Robots and vehicles function very similarly to regular characters with regards to Attributes and Secondary Statistics, but differ in several important, notable ways. Firstly, robots and vehicles are immune to the effects of pain and mental stress, and Conditions like In Agony, Shaken or Panicked do not affect them. Secondly, they use some differently named Attributes, because it doesn't make sense for a robot to have Vigor and Physique! Robots and vehicles also do not have willpower and use Power instead of Stamina. These Attributes are substituted for their organic counterparts when used for any kind of opposed roll. For example, when a human grapples a robot, the human rolls PHY while the robot rolls ENG. When a Vehicle is being piloted, rather than moving autonomously under the direction of an Artificial Intelligence, you use the pilot's Attributes and Piloting Skill to determine the results of COG, PRO and SEN rolls. Vehicles that have no AI or pilot effectively have a score of 0 in those Attributes. Rolls using physical Attributes (DUR, ENG, AGI) are made using the vehicle's Attributes and the pilot's Piloting skill. The attributes used by robots and vehicles are: Durability (DUR) The machine equivalent of Vigor, which is used to determine resistance to Critical Wounds and Conditions. Engine ''(ENG) The machine equivalent of Physique, which determines both physical might and maximum Power. Represents the strength of a machine's engine or power source. ''Agility (AGI) Unchanged. Agility for robots and vehicles works the same as it does for humans, cyborgs, and everything else. Cognition (COG) The machine equivalent of Cunning, which determines and represents a machine's capability for abstraction and human-like thought and expression. Functions identically to Cunning. Processing (PRO) The machine equivalent of Intellect, which determines the machine's ability to process raw data and calculations. Functions identically to Intellect. Sensors (SEN) The machine equivalent of Sense, which measures and determines the machine's perceptive capabilities, both literally and socially. Functions identically to Sense. Aura ''(AUR) Robots and Vehicles do not have any Aura or Willpower. For all intents and purposes, Robots and Vehicles have an AUR score of 0, which cannot be increased. Creating Vehicles While robots have their own parts and pieces available for character creation on the Robot Factory page, vehicles are instead created using the three vehicle pages. Vehicles are highly modular and, much like Armor, are created from a base chassis with modifications made to it. There are three main, distinct types of vehicles with different rules: * '''Standard Vehicles' are vehicles with wheels or tracks, as well as common atmospheric fliers. This includes things like cars, trucks, turbocopters, SAVs, tanks and more. * Mechs are vehicles with vaguely humanoid shapes that use some form of walking or running for locomotion. They are the only type of vehicle capable of using Cover. * Spaceships are vehicles which are meant to travel through space. Skills A representation of a character's degree of training or talent in a given area. There are five types of skills: Combat, General, Athletic, Social and Knowledge. Combat Skills reflect a character's ability to fight with various weapons as well as their ability to evade enemy attacks. General Skills '''are practical skills that can be applied to produce various effects, such as picking a locked door or treating a critical wound, as well as professional skills. '''Athletic Skills are those which are used to accomplish physical feats, such as climbing, jumping or swimming. Social Skills are used to influence how other characters view you or to make deductions about other characters in social situations. Knowledge Skills are skills which represent a character's understanding of a specific trade skill or field of study and are used for crafting and modifying things, as well as for obtaining information from the GM. See the Skills page for a list of skills, their descriptions and associated rules. Advantages A representation of a character’s unique positive traits. They include social, physical and mental abilities, as well as specific applications of skills, talents, and important knowledge. Advantages are usually less broadly applicable than Skills, applying narrower bonuses, but having a greater impact. Advantages may also unlock Abilities a character can use. Humans begin with 5 advantage points, mutants and cyborgs with 3, androids with 2, and robots with none. Gifts Similar to advantages, but take three advantage points to obtain. Gifts are powerful boons that can dramatically influence the course of the game, and likely have a great influence on a character’s personal identity. Disadvantages A representation of a character’s vices, faults and restrictions. They include physical and mental handicaps and disabilities, chronic diseases or drug addiction and social restrictions. Characters receive an extra advantage point for each disadvantage they have, up to a maximum of two. More disadvantages can be taken if desired, but will not provide any benefit. See the Advantages page for a list of Advantages, Gifts and Disadvantages, along with their descriptions and associated rules. NOTE: You cannot take opposing advantages / disadvantages, nor can you use cybernetics, mutations or psychic powers to negate the penalty from a disadvantage. You may attempt to “fix” your disadvantage after the game has started. Abilities Abilities are special actions that a character can perform once unlocking them. In most cases, activated Abilities require the expenditure of resources, such as Stamina, Willpower or Power to use, while passive abilities apply their effects at all times. The most common Abilities are unlocked by Advantages, such as Weapon Training and Unarmed Combat. Other Abilities are unlocked by Type-specific mechanics, such as a Mutant's mutations, a Cyborg's cybernetic parts, and a Robot's mechanical components. Examples of Abilities include a Mutant's Telekinesis, the First Aid Ability Desperate Savior, and the Knife Ability Find The Gap. Abilities all have their own pages, but are also listed on the Abilities page.